Boutique bandit hits small shops

1996-11-21 04:00:00 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- A BOUTIQUE bandit is cutting a felonious swath through San Francisco's small-retail business community.

Police attribute 16 armed robberies in the last two months to the suspect, who is still at large, even though his face has been captured on a surveillance camera. Clerks have spotted him - and possibly a female confederate - casing stores.

Eight of the robberies, which police believe began on Sept. 26, have occurred at boutiques and specialty stores in the Marina District and Presidio Heights.

The most recent robbery attempt, which failed, occurred on Nov. 12, at a Sacramento Street consignment shop.

"He's been jumping around. He's also been out in the Richmond and on Market Street - and that makes (apprehending him) hard," police Sgt. Joseph Currie said on Wednesday.

The bandit has injured no one but has thrown a fright into the small business community. He targets small stores in which a clerk or cashier - almost always a woman - is the only occupant, usually shortly before closing time.

He is described as an African American man, 25 to 40 years of age, 5-9 to 6 feet tall, with a mustache, and who wears a hooded sweat shirt, according to his victims.

They say he also speaks in a slow, deep voice and sometimes stutters.

The suspect carries a black satchel which conceals what appears to be a pistol. Police say that surveillance camera photos have disclosed that he has a firearm.

A crime bulletin flyer with the blurry photograph of the suspect and a description of his criminal technique was posted in stores in areas where he is known to have struck.

On Nov. 7, the bandit robbed the Tennis Shack and Bay Sport at 3375 Sacramento St. just as its lone occupant, a clerk, was about to close shop.

"We'd already closed out our register, and he asked her where the safe deposit box was and she said she didn't know, and he got angry," said Bay Sport owner Kimberly Withrow. "Then he ordered her into the dressing room and closed the door. ... I think he got about $100 from the register," she said.

"He was staking us out. He'd been around here waiting for something to happen. He was in the store with a woman that day. We recognized him," Withrow said.

Just three days earlier, in broad daylight at 1:30 p.m., the suspect had robbed Mom's the Word, a stylish maternity-wear shop at 3385 Sacramento St.

"Pretty gutsy to come back and rob the store next door right away," Withrow said.

On Nov. 6 at about 8 p.m., the suspect robbed the Solar Lights bookstore at 2068 Union St.

"I recognized him from the description. He has worn a few different sweat shirts, but they always had a hood. I knew they'd caught his gun on a security camera. All he said was he wanted the money," said clerk Amanda Cotten.&lt;